Re: [NTLK] No longer supported software...

From: Eric L. Strobel (fyzycyst_at_home.com)
Date: Thu Jun 21 2001 - 10:25:29 PDT


on 6/21/01 7:25 AM, countless monkeys randomly typing on behalf of Robert
Benschop at robertbenschop_at_bigfoot.com miraculously produced:

> on 18-06-2001 9:43, Ed Kummel at tech_ed_at_yahoo.com wrote:
>
>> Most
>> shrink-wrap licences say that your right to use the
>> software can be revoked at anytime without prior
>> notice. So, the analogy to hardware isn't exactly a
>> direct corelation to software.
>
> True, though totally silly, backwards and old fashioned, and they're
> wondering why so much software is being pirated, in the end most software
> companies tend to be as backward as the music industry, which is in a way,
> considering they're producing for a modern medium, quite astonishing.
> For Newton abandon ware, I'll mail anything abandoned to anybody that's in
> need of it and have done this quite a few times so far (I'm really glad that
> this list moved off Yahoo ;-) but it's a very personal thing I guess.
>
>
> Robert Benschop
>

I've sort of come to the conclusion that if we, as a community, have done
our level best to locate the authors/copyrightholders of abandonware, and
are unable to, then our moral duty has been discharged. As a practical
matter, at that point the likelihood of anyone coming after one of us for
"piracy" is pretty darn small. Further, the monetary amount to be gained is
so small as to further discourage action. My bottom line is that, once
we've tried hard to do the right (morally) thing, then I've got no problem
with posting packages or even cracking their registration. After all, if
the author can't be contacted to complete the sale, then there's no
financial damage anyway.

Obviously, additional views on this topic are encouraged.

- Eric.

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